Hold The Line
by Mika the Raven
Summary: Not all that is done can be undone, and many of histories heroes are grossly inadequate when compared to the tasks they undertake. Despite this, a generation will be forced to ask itself the ultimate question. Can a there be redemption for a demon?
1. Introitus: Falling Leaves

Hold the Line

A Naruto Fanfiction by;

Mika The Raven

Prologue: Falling Leaves

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"Looking back at that night all that I can really say is that a horrible mistake was made. The man who was the greatest of us was not only not good enough to protect us, but it was he who has single handedly ensured our destruction." -Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage

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_**"I was old before time began. I knew light before the sun was bright enough to break through the clouds with enough intensity to warm the primodial puddle of piss humanity's earliest forebears managed to extricate themselves from. I watched with disinterest in their struggles with creatures both real and imagined, safe in the knowledge that I was many times the terror that any one of them could ever hope to dream of. There was a time when I looked upon them and felt pity, well before there was nothing but igorance and an abject unwillingness to understand and cooexist with the world around them. Their first winter night's were heated by my glory. Then these insects began to feel that they were the masters of their own destiny. As if I would let them become anything but what I desired them to be. I have been sought out countless times by these insignificant motes of flotsam, by those who seek power, those who seek the boon of my wisdom, and finally and most importantly those who wished to end me. For those who sought power, I granted them weakness in the form of strength. The various Kekkei Genkai that abound in this world are proof enough of this, for they have used my power well and have grown reliant upon it, a failing that will doom them all. For those who sought wisdom, I have shown them the boundless mysteries of the Universe and watched with glee as they were driven mad by the true faces of the gods they worship. But as retribution for those who seek my destruction, I have decided to wipe them and their ilk from the face of this wretched planet."**_

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**BOOOOOOOOM!!**

"THE KYUUBI IS COMING!! SOMEBODY GO AND ALERT YONDAIME-SAMAAAAUGH!" Shouted an unfortunate Konoha shinobi just before his violent and fiery death as an immense ball of chakra engulfed him and everything else within a square mile of the blasts impact.

But this day he and his comrades sacrifices were not to be in vain.

The message was received.

The Hokage would arrive soon

All they had to do was hold the line.

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Hokage Tower Scroll Room-

Minato Namikaze was not a patient man by any stretch of the word. Especially not when his people were dying like dogs, killed by a power none of them could ever hope to understand let alone defeat, he worked feverishly to complete the justsu that would end his relatively short, but amazingly productive life. All he could do was hope to buy them some time, while he waited for the son that was killing his beloved Kushina to be born. His son would be both sinner and saint. Born in blood and sacrificed to save all that his father held dear. But at least he would be a living sacrifice. A testament to the abilities of his progenitor, and a man that he would never know. In death he would ask forgiveness from his son, but none of that mattered now he would be joining his Beautiful Whirlpool in a very short amount of time. And he still had a job to do.

Shiki Fuuin had to be completed.

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_**I watch as they scurry like the vermin that they are. Trying desparately to protect that insipid blight on the forest I have cultivated for ages. I laugh as their bodies are destroyed by my rage, and their souls are consumed by my lust. Secure in the knowledge that each one has made me ever so much more powerful. I will have to thank that human with the Tengu-Shujou's blessing for alerting me to the plans of these paltry mortals. They are merely the first of many, for the whole of humanity will fall before my wroth like so much wheat before the blade. But first I will have to deal with the idiot toad that has decided to block my path. This will be entertaining indeed.**_

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He had finally arrived at the hour of his destiny. His son born not fifteen minutes ago, a bright shining star amidst the blackness of the night. The sigils were applied on the newborns abdomen, a final testament to the grievous sin he was about to commit. He dropped to his knees to steady himself as his dear friend Gamabunta weathered yet another blast of the insidious chakra that seemed to fuel the beast he now faced. He gently kissed his son on the forehead and looked at his crying face.

"I'm so sorry my little Naruto... Maybe one day you'll forgive a fool for the love of his home?"

He lay the precious bundle atop the great toad.

**"ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS MINATO-KUN? SURELY THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY!"**

Minato shook his head.

"I'm very sorry old friend, but do me a favor and watch over him won't you? If he's anything like his parents, the village will have plenty to worry about in the coming years."

**"MINATO-KUN THERE ARE VERY FEW HUMANS I ACTUALLY RESPECT ENOUGH TO HONOR A DYING WISH FROM, YOU BEING CHIEF AMONG THEM. HE WILL BE LOOKED AFTER, ON THIS YOU HAVE MY WORD."** Said the giant gangster toad.

"Thank you my friend. Good bye."

With all that needed to be said between them finished, Minato cut his wrists to the bone so that there would be no hope of sealing the wounds. He stood over his son with his arms held out to the sides and spun in a slow circle. Once the vaguely circular kinjutsu field was complete, he started a vastly complex set of hand signs while chanting in a nearly forgotten language that was passed from one Hokage to the next. Specks of light began to coalesce around him and his vision darkened as he forced his chakra from his body. The sequence of seals ending in a brilliant flash of light, followed by the luminous flaring of every sigil and symbol within the Summoning Circle.

The trap was baited, all he needed to do now was wait for his demise.

"SHIKI FUUIN!"

He raised his head to look upon the smiling face of the God of Death, his last conscius thought as the silent deity opened its mouth and swallowed his soul was whispered to the bundle that lay beneath his dying body.

"Good-bye my beloved son. My Beautiful Whirlpool I will see you soon."

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_**The toad is an impressive opponent, as it seems to be able to withstand large amounts of my chakra. Had I known one such as he existed I would have removed him from this plane long ago. But he seems to at last be tiring. Good. It would have been bothersome had this churl actually been able to hurt me. Too bad for him.**_

_**"SHIKI FUUJIN!"**_

_**THIS CANNOT BE! The God of Death has not made a contract with a mortal since the seven days of fire. But there he is with his hungry eyes looking right at me. What is this feeling in my gut? Is this...It IS! This is Terror. I do not wish to end. I do not Want to dissappe-...**_

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Sautobi Hiruzen looked upon the precious bundle upon his desk and realized that it represented all that remained of a great man and his unparalleled legacy, he had been reeinstated to the office of Hokage before the first rays of sulight had been able to pierce the smoky veil that blanketed the once great ninja city of Konohagakure. A city that had come out on top in the aftermath of not one but all three Great Shinobi Wars. He had been entrusted with the boys care, and he would see to it that he remained safe from those who would be his enemies. No one but himself, his now absent and grieving student Jiraiya, and young Mitarashi Anko, who had been the Shinobi unfortunate enough to bring him the news of the successors death as well as the child he now held in his arms would know of the boys terrible burden.

There had been a sealed scroll with his name on it that had been in the pocket of the Greatcoat that the Yondaime had worn to his final battle outlining what, and more importantly who the child was. It had been directly ordered to him as the Kuroi Senkou's last order that the child not be told of his parentage until he came of age, what percentage of his clans holding be awarded to charities to aid in the aftermath of the attack, and that the boys name was decided to be Uzumaki Naruto.

He looked down at the newborn and hoped with all of his heart and soul that as the child turned it's crimson eyes upon him and smiled that everything would turn out for the better, and the Will of Fire would continue to burn strongly in the breast of every citizen of Konohagakure.


	2. Chapter 1: Surface Tension

Hold the Line

A Naruto fanfiction by:

Mika the Raven

Chapter 1: Surface Tension

The only people I have ever bothered to keep in my thoughts are my father, my teammates, Sandaime, my Sensei and my students. The den of fools formerly known as Konohagakure deserves only to be forgotten, in the manner of all civilizations that anger gods.

- Hatake Kakashi on his deathbed 868AGC

( Konohagakure - Civilian Quarter - Market District - October 10th 807AGC - 2135 Hours)

The festive air that pervaded the atmosphere of the ninja village of Konohagakure no Sato was an annual occurrence that celebrated the victory of human spirit, ingenuity and tenacity over great, nearly insurmountable odds, and terrible, absolute evil.

It was also one hell of a way to celebrate one's birthday.

Uzumaki Naruto traipsed along the market path avoiding inebriated pedestrians, and shinobi alike with a broad grin on his face. It was his favorite day of the year, the one day of the year where everybody in the village came together as friends and forgot about their burdens while concentrating instead only on having a fantastic time. Though random hugs from pretty girls that had partaken of more than their fair share of Fire Wine wasn't anything to complain about either, The fact that he was a newly appointed Genin complete with Hitai-ate that had been tasked to maintain order didn't even really factor into the equation. Besides the only ones who concerned themselves with maintaining order on Sealing Day were those stuffy Uchiha bastards that ran the village police force. As it stood his primary goal right now was trying to regain his bearings amongst the crowd. He didn't know why but it always seemed like he never quite knew where exactly in the village he was. Oh sure he knew he was in the market district of course, but relative distance and trajectory were not entirely his strong points, it was like his perceptions of the world around him were slightly off target.

The red eyed youth allowed himself to grin broadly as he recognized a familiar chakra signature, quickly hiding it behind a stony glare that would have made a Hyuuga proud.

"Naruto." said his challenger

"Sasuke." he said in response

The air was tense as the two would-be warriors sized each other up, neither blinking or moving as each knew that he who made the first move would be the one to walk away.

Then the Uchiha snickered.

The Uzumaki joined him as his pseudo serious facade gave way to unbridled laughter as he threw his arm over his best friends shoulder, continuing on towards the village center where the true festivities were being held.

"So Loser, what do you want to do?" Sasuke asked with a wry grin his own hitai-ate gleaming in the firelight, as he both knew of and enjoyed greatly the debacle that Naruto usually made of the yearly festivals. It was always a pleasure to see his uncle Obito turn interesting shades of red.

"I dunno, no need to be a jerk though." said Naruto with a half hearted glare at Sasuke as he was reminded of his less than legendary performance in the Ningakuen.

His abysmal scores in the academy had been caused by his nearly non-existent control, and his ungodly chakra levels. Fortunately the Chuunin instructor Umino Iruka had noticed what was wrong and had put in the extra time to aid Naruto in his studies in time for him to be able to perform the Bunshin Jutsu just within the Academy's graduation standards, the fact that he was able to use the Kawarimi nominally helped, but it was his near perfect abilities in the use of Henge, and his prodigious strength that he used to augment his otherwise unimpressive Taijutsu that had pushed him over the mark and allowed him to pass. His written test scores had been another story and as such he had only graduated by the skin of his teeth as the class's dead last, a fact that the normally subdued Uchiha delighted in reminding him of whenever the opportunity arose.

"I was considering painting the Hokage monument an unflattering shade of pink, but ya know we just so happen to be on duty sooo I don't think I'll be causing any chaos tonight." he said as they passed a game kiosk that involved kunai throwing with a slogan that boasted that no-one had yet been able to hit all the bulls-eyes in one toss.

"Buzz kill." the Uchiha heir spat as he grinned over at one of the many pretty girls out in full regalia, causing her to blush furiously.

"Yeah well, when I'm Hokage I can let you off the hook for pulling pranks until then you're just gonna have to settle for the boring life of a highly trained Shinobi, Besides it's my birthday, let's go spend some of your money and see what trouble Sakura-chan has gotten herself into!" He said as he slugged his friend in the arm causing him to wince.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and smiled at his friends retreating back.

"You know my life would probably be easier if you didn't know that I was rich." he called out to Naruto, as he too was soon lost in the crowd with his friend as they went to go find the third member of their team.

It really couldn't get any better than this.

(Konohagakure - Hokage Tower - Palace District - October 10th 807AGC - 2200 hours)

He was close to opening the final lock to the Hokage's Scroll Library. He had gotten the drop on the Chuunin that had been unfortunate enough to draw guard duty on Sealing Day, the poor bastards blood was slowly pooling around his feet in the narrow passage way making him have to exude small amounts of chakra to keep himself from slipping.

He smiled broadly as he heard the final set of tumblers fall into place with a practically inaudible click, the door came open and he stepped inside.

He'd done it. He was standing in a room that only the Kages, and a select few elite jounin had ever set foot in. Countless scrolls that contained much if not all of the villages techniques and ninja skills. Stacked against the walls were boxes of documents that no doubt held information so damning that were it ever to see the light of day would likely cause the Fourth Shinobi War, but these documents were merely trinkets to him, shiny distracting baubles that caused his mind to wander away from his true purpose, The Forbidden Scroll of Sealing.

Yes, with that particular scroll he would be privy to secrets and techniques thought lost since the days of Senjuu Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage. He would quickly gain enough power to challenge all five Kages at once! Or so he hoped.

He sneered at the thought of how his ninja career had led him to this point, how time and again he had been passed over for promotion to Jounin because for some reason he didn't meet the psychological profile that was required of an elite shinobi. Someone was working against him he just knew it. It was probably those zombie-eyed Hyuuga bastards whose all seeing eyes couldn't help but notice his greatness and potential, and were actively sabotaging him from the shadows, but he'd soon show them, he'd show them all, when Konoha was nothing more than a faintly glowing cinder forgotten in the ashtray of history he alone would stand as the true testament of ninja skill in the world, a perfect paragon that all future generations would endeavor to imitate and fail to achieve.

He reigned in his thoughts as his grandiose fantasies almost ran away with him again.

Deactivating the six seal lock as he had been instructed by his client, he carefully lifted the enormous scroll swearing silently as his excitement made his chakra fluctuate minutely enough to where he almost slipped on the blood slick floor. He kicked the cooling body of the Chuunin as he left the room, his window of opportunity to escape unnoticed closing rapidly, as the relief for this guard would be here in five minutes.

The silent intruder quickly cast a henge on the Scroll to make it appear as though it were a backpack and took on the appearance of a nin with a spiked ponytail and a scar that spanned the bridge of his nose.

Mizuki smiled as he departed, this would be the perfect crime.

(Konohagakure - Civilian Quarter - Alleyway - October10th 807AGC - 2230 hours)

Naruto smiled as he watched the boy he and Sasuke been tailing for the past half hour try yet again unsuccessfully to pilfer a couple sticks of dango from one of the concession booths. Every time he would almost get away with it the villager running the booth would notice and run him off with a shout and some choice language. They knew the boy was a second year academy student so his skills at pilfering should really no suck this badly. He was wearing a ridiculously long scarf, and some weird kind of helmet, that only allowed a small tuft of the boys unruly brown hair to stick out. The boy had yet to realize that he was being watched and that every time he made his move Sasuke would launch a small pebble from his hand to catch the attention of the booth operator. They'd been doing this for over an hour, following him from booth to booth and had even once, upon the boy's successful pilfering, taken his prize, ate it in front of him and laughed openly at the boys sputtered cries of outrage and promises of revenge before shooing him away and telling him that a true ninja would not be caught in such a fashion.

The boy had retaliated with a maelstrom of profanity and a flurry of easily dodged yet surprisingly efficient Taijutsu causing both of the older nin to laugh even harder.

"You bastards!" the boy screamed as he began to lose his breath. "You just wait until I tell my grandpa on you!"

The statement was so outlandish that it had brought Sasuke up short and made him pause to consider the validity of such a threat.

He froze when he recognized the young boy for who he was, while Naruto was just as happy to continue ridiculing the young boy further.

"Oh yeah? And what is some wrinkled old prune going to be able to do two fine young upstanding members of the elite Konohagakure Ninja Corps eh Brat?" Naruto barked as he dodged what looked to be the slowest haymaker he had ever seen. "I'm going to be Hokage one day, so your grandpa can suck eggs!" he finished as he stepped around the sloppy punch he bopped the young boy on the head with enough force to send him to the ground on his bottom with a bewildered expression on his face.

Konohamaru was taken aback. Didn't this blonde asshole know who he was? He was the heir to the sarutobi line and the top shinobi trainee in his class...well if you didn't count that snobby, short, stupid, totally uncute Hyuuga Hanabi, but she didn't count! He was the absolute best that he could be and no one ever stood up to him for long after he mentioned his grandpa. It was almost as if... waitaminute!

"You don't have any idea who I am do you?" he deduced as he took in the blank look on the orange clad ninja's face.

He stood up suddenly and struck a pose that he had seen one of the cooler ninja that worked for his grandpa did whenever he felt he was being challenged. He had worked long and hard to get it just right, but he could never get it just right, as the waves in the accompanying genjutsu always appeared to be at low tide.

"Cower in fear cretin! for I am Sarutobi Konohamaru, grandson of Sarutobi Hiruzen the esteemed Third Hokage renowned across the ninja world as 'The Professor' and for your slights against my august personage you will be repre-ugh!" he wasn't able to finish his speech because of both a sharp sudden influx of pain and the fact that his mouth and face were suddenly experiencing the life of an earthworm. He struggled in vain against the weight of the foot that was suddenly placed against the back of his neck.

"First things first brat! If i ever see you use that creepy ass genjutsu ever again I will personally replace my eyes with yours to account for the fact I was nearly blinded by stupidity." Naruto paused to shiver slightly "Second a weird little kid like you could never be a relative of Sandaime-ojiisan! So shovel your shit somewhere else runt because it gettin' deep over here!"

Before he could continue further Naruto was knocked violently into a tree. As his vision cleared he took in the features of the mysterious assailant that was walking out of the shadows of the treeline.

He was a tall man who was wearing dark pants and a dark shirt along with a pair of black glasses that despite their rounded frames completely obscured his eyes from vision along with a gleaming silver hitai-ate that coverd his hair with black cloth.

"And just what business does slime such as yourselves conduct that it would entitle you to touch a single hair on the head of the Honorable Grandson?" The spectacled man sneered down his nose at them.

"Do you not know that this boy is the last recognized heir to the Sarutobi line?" He waited for a reply which neither Sasuke or Naruto felt up to giving with all the killeng intent in the air.

Naruto had had enough and was about to let the Tokubetsu Jounin have a piece of his mind when Sasuke stepped in front of him and bowed his head, pushing down Naruto's head as he did so.

"I apologize Jounin-san, Genin Uzumaki and myself were merely detaining this academy trainee after we had observed him trying to pilfer dango sticks from one of the concession stands."

Ebisu was taken aback with outrage "That's preposterous!" he yelled turning to face the Uchiha and walking slowly towards him. "How dare you even insinuate that the Honorable Grandson were even capable of such shameful behavior!" He paused to push his glasses up on his nose. "I'm of a mind to drag the both of you before Hokage-sama and let him mete out a swift and just punishement!"

Sasuke was a little surprised but kept his cool in that infuriatingly detached manner that was as natural to an Uchiha as perverse giggling was to a Hatake.

"Because of the clan symbol on his back we knew he was of the Sarutobi so we chose to discreetly direct him away from the fairgrounds so that we could chastise him away from the public eye and allow his clan to save face against claims of brigandry. That is all." he finished refusing to defer his eyes to a superior ninja that already appeared to have his mind made up.

Sasuke sent a silent glance at his partner and the blonde seemed to catch on.

"Yeah we didn't want anyone that was possibly related to Hokage-jiji to be embarrassed because that runt is a sucky ninja." Naruto said with a fox-like grin that didn't reach his eyes at all.

The dark clan Jounin took in all that had been said, but there was something strange in the air he matched the hard gaze of the blonde genin and as much as Ebisu wanted to press the issue, wanted to continue with his interrogation of these... these *scrubs* that had dared assault his charge but it was all he could do to stand within ten meters of him. Something was amiss. It was like cold worms crawling across his skin; a feeling that hung on the breeze that insisted he had no business being there. The shadows that surrounded them seemed to pulse with an ebb and flow that was not unlike watching a Nara work with his or her family's signature jutsu

"Well be that as it may, both of you are to report to Hokage-sama at daybreak tomorrow and we will see who is still a ninja then" he said nervously before he turned to shout

"COME HONORABLE GRANDSON! WE ARE LEAVING!"

The two genin watched as the Jounin departed with the young Sarutobi in tow and Naruto winked at him as the young boy turned his head to stick his tongue out at them.

"Well that went well don'tcha think teme?"

He winced as Sasuke smacked him upside the head and walked back to their patrol route shaking his head.

"Dobe."

(Konohagakure - Sarutobi District - Clan Lodgings - October 10th 807AGC - 2315 hours)

Sarutobi Hiruzen was old. And not just because he had reached the age of 67 in a profession that was more than likely to kill you whithin the first two years. Not because he had assumed the mantle of office twice is his life, having taken it from two men he considered to be the greatest ninja the world had ever seen. The Nidaime with his control over his element so skillful that many wondered if he had developed a previously unknown bloodline, and the Yondaime, a man who had so mastered the art of sealing that it was rare if the man ever actually walked more than five feet to get anywhere with his strange and fantastic "Hiraishin no Jutsu"

"Hmmm flying thunder god indeed." he mused to himself

No Sarutobi was old because every day that he continued to draw breath he felt a little more of the strength that made him feared as "The Professor - Master of Over One Thousand Jutsu" fade away. Hell he would be lucky if he was able to even perform more than fiftenn percent of his jutsu library anymore.

He looked forward to the day that he would be able to pass on the title of Hokage to a member of the new generation, aside from Hatake Kakashi there were few notable ninja, skilled yes, but no others seemed to have the depth of character that the Copycat Ninja seemed to possess what with his personal motto of "Those who disobey the rules are trash, but those who betray their friends are worse than trash." If it hadn't been for the young man's best friend nearly sacrifising himself to prove that point and then replacing Kakashi's damaged vision with one of his own highly coveted and precious Sharingan eyes before accepting a commision in the Police Squad, Kakashi would have been nothing more than a notable casualty of the Third Great War.

So when one of his ANBU came to inform him that The Sealed Scroll had been stolen, he felt every single year of his age weigh down upon him like a fully grown Akamichi.

He turned and called to the window

"Orochimaru."

There was a slight shifting of the air as his greatest student and closest friend appeared before him.

"Yes, Sensei?" He replied, his golden eyes settling on the man that was by all counts his adoptive father.

"Fix this."

-End Chapter One-

A/N

Thank you all for waiting as this will be my last fanfiction effort before I attempt to write my own book.

I am going to finish this story even if it kills me.

Sorry about the cliffy ^_^


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